Global humanitarian aid organization expedites distribution of emergency food, equipment and placement of additional bomb shelters as threat of escalation looms
JERUSALEM, April 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Following the attacks from Iran on April 13 in which hundreds of drones and missiles were launched at Israel from Iran and its proxies, The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) announced today it has taken immediate action to approve $600,000 for emergency food and shelter boxes. Additionally, the organization is expediting the production and placement of additional bomb shelters in the northern region of Israel—a project not originally planned until after Passover.
The Fellowship provides an emergency food box to an elderly beneficiary. IFCJ/Yossi Zeliger
Mobile bomb shelter installed in the Manot Community in the Ma’ale Yosef Regional Council. IFCJ/Raanan Cohen
“The Fellowship has been preparing for an escalation along the northern border of Israel since October 7, and we haven’t stopped since,” said Fellowship President and CEO, Yael Eckstein. “We took immediate action then to help strengthen the security of northern border communities—placing bomb shelters, providing first responders with armored vehicles, protective gear, and medical equipment so they would be prepared and protected at a moment’s notice. We continue to provide aid and security to the people of Israel, whether the attack is from Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iran. As the agents of death try to wreak destruction, The Fellowship continues to invest in protection and sanctifying life.”
The Fellowship’s emergency aid initiative includes packing and distribution of 5,000 emergency food boxes and 1,000 shelter boxes, meant equip civilians and municipalities with essential food and hygiene items as well as emergency equipment such as flashlights, large batteries, and radio transistors in the event of a situation or escalation that would require spending days or weeks in bombs shelters.
The morning after the attacks, Fellowship staff also completed its distribution of Passover aid cards to ensure elderly and other vulnerable populations would have them in time for the upcoming holiday.
The organization is also actively working with its partners to fortify a NICU unit at a local hospital, and in response to the Iranian attack, is in talks to fortify an emergency medicine unit at a hospital in Jerusalem. In late March, the Fellowship dedicated a new fortified pediatric dialysis unit at Schneider Children’s Hospital.
“It’s a miracle that 99% of the missiles fired at Israel were intercepted by combined forces,” said Robin Van Etten, Global Chief Operating Officer for the Fellowship. “Now, it’s all about preparation for what could happen next, and we’re preparing for every scenario with the utmost urgency.”
In 2023, The Fellowship provided more than $19 million in emergency aid and assistance to hundreds of thousands of Israelis in the first three months after October 7, and has committed to providing $125 million in security-related aid support in 2024.
Eckstein added, “No matter what the risk, the crisis, or the need—big or small—the Fellowship will always be there, as we have for more than 40 years.”
About the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
For more than 40 years, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) has been the leading nonprofit building bridges between Christians and Jews, blessing Israel and the Jewish people around the world with humanitarian care and lifesaving aid. In 2023, The Fellowship helped more than 2 million people living in poverty, helped thousands make aliyah back to their homeland, Israel, and helped strengthen Israel’s security infrastructure. To learn more about The Fellowship’s work, visit www.ifcj.org.
About Yael Eckstein
As President and CEO of The Fellowship, Yael Eckstein oversees all programs and serves as the international spokesperson for the organization. With over a decade of non-profit experience in multiple roles, Yael has the rare distinction of being a woman leading one of the world’s largest religious charitable organizations. In 2021, she launched her podcast, Nourish Your Biblical Roots, in which she shares spiritual insights and lessons from the Torah, and invites leading Christian and Jewish thought leaders to discuss Jewish-Christian relations and Israel’s significance on the world stage. She is the 2023 recipient of the Jerusalem Post’s Humanitarian Award, and in 2020, 2021 and 2023, was named to the publication’s list of 50 Most Influential Jews. Born and raised outside of Chicago, Yael is based in Israel with her husband and their four children.
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SOURCE International Fellowship of Christians and Jews